Page 24 of Lux

They don't draw weapons, but I recognize their stances: prepared to fight.

So am I. I lower my head and curl my hands into fists. Cassius, the bastard, trained me well. He preferred his toys always on alert, waiting for his command. To bite. Tear. Destroy.

“Well, out here, we must do things by our laws,” the woman mayor explains, her cheeks flaming. “It is in the official charter. To go against that, I would need a writ signed by the entire council. Unless you have one…”

“It seems this is a conversation well beyond us, Caspian.” Altaris practically shoves me to the door. “We should take our leave--”

“No.” The Lord Master’s voice rings out, firm and echoing. In their path, the mortal woman practically curls in on herself. “We demand that our fugitives be returned--”

“Well, there is one option,” the woman says meekly. Some part of me bristles at her display as she trembles from head to toe. Perhaps it is the look in her eye, barely visible behind her wayward mass of hair. Stern, steely, unwavering. “I will put them under my direct observation. They will be tracked at all times, until you can arrange for an official summons. It is the least I can do.” She bows again, but when she rises, her beaming smile reminds me of Altaris' dismissive wave. “I happen to have one on me, in fact--” she rummages through her pockets in a drawn-out display. Finally, she withdraws a small object that she cradles in her hand: a red gem no larger than her little finger. “Altaris, will you do the honors?”

He approaches her warily and takes the gem in hand. Then he turns to me. “Don’t resist, Caspian,” he mutters. “For your own good.”

My own good--the reason why he raises the gem to my forearm. Then, with reflexes too quick to resist, he jams the gem againstthe inside of my elbow. The gem melds into the flesh in an instant, becoming a red, circular patch of flesh. I dig my nails against it, but it doesn’t budge.

“Thank you so much for your visit,” the mortal woman says cheerfully to the envoys. “Altaris, you may handle the arrangements to ensure this fugitive is given our utmost surveillance.”

“Of course. Come, Caspian.” Altaris heads for the door, and I follow. Before the Lord Master could argue, we escape the room together.

I sense it is a fragile victory. Red tape will not be enough to keep Cassius at bay for long. He will come for me. The fae will come for Niamh.

The ceremony will commence, and she will die. I feel it in my soul.

Just like I feel the burning itch of whatever the hell he placed into my arm.

I stop short, my gaze on his neck. “What did you--”

“A minor inconvenience,” he explains, once again deploying that commanding tone of voice. “Trust me. It is merely a pesky little tracking device to mark your whereabouts, nothing less, nothing more. Be thankful your bond was upheld. That whole incident was, as the mundane say, ‘by the skin of our teeth.’ This way--” He advances toward one of the green desks, staffed by a woman dressed in gray. “Let us hope this damn bond has been taken care of. Hello, dear, Elsie!”

“You’re all paid up, Altaris,” the smiling woman replies.

He nods to her, his smile gallant. “As expected, Elsie. You may forward all notices for his court appearances to my address, should there be any changes.”

“Will do!” She looks at me and pales. Her pretty smile falls. “Your first appearance is on the ninth,” she says tremblingly. “It will be an official extradition hearing as well. You are to come in through the court entrance and wait there?—”

“Never mind the details,” Altaris says, waving me along like I was a dog on a leash. “I will make sure dear Caspian makes all his appointments. Don’t you worry.”

“There is one other thing,” Elsie calls out. “His permits aren’t in order. He has some expired temporary visas, but I can’t find anything recent. If there is an immigration issue, I’ll have to send the case straight to Jack?—”

“Oh, don’t you worry yourself about that,” Altaris says, still moving me along. “I am on my way to visit dearest Mrs. Willtze now. We will get all his immigration paperwork squared away. Do give your future husband my regards, darling. I just knew you two would make the perfect couple.”

Elsie giggles. “Oh yes. That was so nice of you to introduce us?—”

“Altaris Ipsum.” The booming voice rings out from the end of the hall. There a man stands. Tall, his dark skin glistens. So does his bald head. He wears the same clothing and sports the same stick as everyone else in this damn place—yet every head swivels to him. Every nearby mortal stands at attention. Fear isn’t what guides them but something else. An emotion that Cassius could never, in all his centuries of living, convey from another being willingly.

Respect.

They all respect him here. Everyone, it seems, but Altaris.

“What the fuck are you doing in my domain, vamp?” the man questions. “From what I recall, the last time you were here to pick up one of your crazy, little vamp bitches after she tried to drain an entire family dry, I warned you then. Stay the fuck out of my station. I said then if I caught one more of your vermin, I’d toss them into the pits myself?—”

“And yet here we stand,” Altaris says, his smile wide. He folds his hands together in front of him and inclines his head. “Boney Jack, looking as strapping as always. Do give my regards to dear Marin. It seems that the recent increase in workload isn’t agreeing with her delicate sensibilities. You might want to check that contraband locker of yours and see if any Elysium is missing.”

Boney Jack clenches his jaw—the only indication of anger he gives. Unlike me, he doesn’t rant, tear, and brutalize in his rage. He is cold, quiet, and calculating. “Mention her again and I’ll toss you into the pits my fucking self,” he warns.

“Well, as marvelous a time as that sounds, I really have other business to attend to. So, you’d best get out of my way.” While Altaris’s tone is polite, his eyes blaze.

Boney Jack resists for merely a second before stepping aside. Then his gaze drifts to me.

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